Page 119 of Ice Darling
She shakes her head no.
“Your secret’s safe with me.”
Gordie smiles and wraps her arms around my neck. She squeezes me tight, and I squeeze back, holding her like she’s my entire world.
“I love you, Delia,” she says.
My heart cracks and groans like an iceberg finally thawing after centuries. Squeezing the tiny little girl who now owns my heart completely, I whisper, “I love you too.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Renthrow
Gordie emerges from the kitchen holding Cordelia’s hand, and I stop myself from stampeding over to them.
My eyes rove Gordie’s face instead.
Her nose is pink, and her eyes look red. Was she crying?
I shoot my attention to Cordelia next. Her cheeks are flushed and tearstained.
Were they both crying? What were they talking about?
Gordie glances at me and then quickly looks away. This is the first time I’ve noticed her looking so sheepish after an episode. Normally, she’ll crawl out of the table and be upbeat and chirpy as if the last fifteen or twenty minutes of withdrawn behavior never happened.
At first, it disturbed me to see that, like she was putting on a mask. It seemed like a heavy burden to bear for such a small, frail child.
But now, I can tell that Gordie’s fully aware of what transpires and how people respond to her when she withdraws. And I wish with all my heart that she could return to being completely separate from the episodes.
“Bye, Gordie,” Vinnie says, waving awkwardly from afar. I cringe to think about whether the little girl will relay tonight’s events to her friends. Should I go bully a bunch of six-year-old girls, so they keep their mouths shut?
Don’t be ridiculous, Renthrow.
My eyes lift to Vinnie’s mom, and a new concern joins that one. What if not only the kids at school but all the adults in Lucky Falls hears about this?
Small-town gossip is fast-spreading and poisonous. I’ll have to start punching my way through the grapevine, and the fight will never end.
Vinnie’s mom walks us to the door.
“Cordelia, do you mind starting the car without me? I’ll be right there,” I say, handing her the keys.
She nods, and with both hands on Gordie’s shoulders, steers my daughter to the car.
Vinnie’s mom and I remain alone on the porch.
“Ma’am,” I start awkwardly.
“It’s okay.” Vinnie’s mom offers an encouraging smile. “I won’t say a word. I’ll talk to Vinnie too.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
I jog down the porch steps, not feeling very reassured. The truth is a tricky thing. Once it’s been exposed, there’s no way to wrestle it back in the closet where the rest of the bones are hiding.
The car bounces as I climb into the driver’s seat. Immediately, Cordelia and Gordie snap their mouths shut.
“What were you ladies whispering about?” I ask, infusing my voice with a cheerfulness that I don’t feel.
“Nothing,” Cordelia says, staring straight ahead.
